The obvious gingerbread accessory is a gingerbread man cookie cutter, either whole or prebitten, depending on how traditional you like your cookies to be. Another favorite of mine is the gingerbread man pan. Simply a full-sized pan shaped like a rather dapper gingerbread figure, the pan is a nice way to get the look of a gingerbread man with any kind of cake, rather than with cookies. I tend to see this pan as a good option for those who would rather have chocolate cake than gingerbread, but still want something festive around the holidays.

For a gift, I really like the gingerbread man loaf panat Sur La Table. It’s made by Nordicware and is very, very sturdy. It holds as much as a regular loaf pan and includes a gingerbread cake mix (which is what makes it a nice gift set).

The cutest baking accessories, however, must be the gingerbread man sprinkles. I’ve seen these sold in holiday sprinkle multi-packs and have several containers with them in my cabinet, but you can order them individually, as well (Thanks for that tip, Alanna!). They’re ultra-tiny but well-formed gingerbread people, perfect for topping cakes and cookies. Unfortunately, they’re not flavored, but they certainly look great on top of a baked good.

Finally, take a look at the entries posted so far at the contest’s Flickr gallery. It’s great inspiration for cookie decorating – so far, everyone’s submissions look fantastic.